Diane Feinstein: An Outdated Paradigm?

The California Democratic party has declined to give Senator Dianne Feinstein its endorsement in her recent bid for re-election. As the party appears to be in search of a new direction, only 37 percent of delegates voted in support of Feinstein. Many members of the Democratic Party see Dianne Feinstein’s views, such as her support of the death penalty, as too far to the right, and this has caused her to have a volatile relationship with the party.

Feinstein’s challenger, State Senate Leader Kevin de Leon, is running to the left of Feinstein on issues such as taxes, health care, and immigration. De Leon beat Feinstein in the Convention vote by 17 points. Neither de Leon nor Feinstein, however, got the 60 percent vote needed for the Democratic Party endorsement. Still, heading into the June primary, de Leon counts the outcome as a major victory.

It’s worth noting, though, that Democrats at the Democratic Convention don’t necessarily reflect the party’s voters, in general. The convention is dominated by those who tend to be activists, and the votes de Leon won were the activist votes. Kevin de Leon captured 19 percent of likely voters who are Democrats, and Feinstein captured 67 percent.

Dianne Feinstein acknowledged that times are changing, and the political climate is different this year. “This is not an easy time to run for office. I have never seen the presidency…as disgraced as it is today. We are Democrats, not because we don’t like business, or not because we don’t like their professions, but because we recognize that America is made up of many different people, each of whom has equal rights under the law. And the struggle is to see that this country lives that way.”

The outcome of the California Democratic Party nomination however, isn’t likely to hurt Dianne Feinstein at the election booth. In the polls, Feinstein currently out-shines de Leon by almost 30 points – Feinstein is at 56 percent, and de Leon, at 17 percent. Dianne Feinstein also leads in name recognition, as well as in campaign funds raised to date.

Nevertheless, we should take note. Voters are indicating that they’re tired of the traditional Democratic paradigm. Especially in light of the Trump presidency, Democrats appear to be setting a more radical direction for the future of the party. Dianne Feinstein, a longstanding fixture of the Democratic party, may prove to represent ever fewer of the principles of the current party.